The Henry Miller Museum of Art, which includes paintings by celebrated American writer Henry Miller among its 230 works of art, will close by the end of October, the operator said Thursday.
The museum, in Omachi, Nagano Prefecture, is the only one in the world to collect Miller's artwork. It has been losing money since it opened in April 1996, as it receives only about 11,000 visitors a year, roughly a third of what the operator anticipated.
The museum hopes to sell its entire collection to pay off its debts, about 360 million yen, but has found no buyers so far, according to the museum.
Shinzo Uchiyama, the museum's operator, said, "I feel sorry for all the supporters, but I would like to look for buyers and try to keep these precious paintings from being scattered around the world."